.0     ,z  &»*/  /^<^t?-.  R.    L.    LANGENHEIM,  JR. 

DEPT.  GEOL.  UNIV.  ILLINOIS 
254  N.  H.  B.,  1301  W.  GREEN  ST. 
URBANA,  ILLINOIS  61801 


Press    Bulletin   Scries  Issued   Twice   Quarterly 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 
DEPARTMENT  OF  REGISTRATION  AND  EDUCATION 

A.  M.  SHELTON,  Director 

DIVISION  OF  THE 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

M.  M.  LEIGHTON,  Chief,  Urbana 


No    12  ILLINOIS    PETROLEUM  September  24,  1927 


DEEPER  PRODUCTION  IN  THE  ALLENDALE  OIL  FIELD 

By  Gail  F.  Moulton 

Introduction 

During  the  15  years  since  the  discovery  of  production  on  the  Adam 
Biehl  farm  in  August,  1912,  various  geological  reports  on  Wabash  County 
have  been  issued  by  the  Illinois  Geological  Survey.  Of  these  the  more  im- 
portant are  as  follows  : 

1.  Rich.  John   L..  The  Allendale  oil   field:      Illinois   State  Geol.   Survey   Bull.   31, 

pp.  59-69,  1914. 

2.  Rich,  John  L.,  Oil  and  gas  in  the  Vincennes  quadrangle:      Illinois  State  Geol. 

Survey  Bull.  33,  pp.  164-166,  and  map,  1916. 

3.  Collingwood,  D.  M.,  Extension  of  Allendale  oil  field:      Illinois  State  Geol.  Sur- 

vey Press  Bulletin,  May  17,  1924. 

4.  Moulton.   Gail   P.,   Further  contributions   to   the   geology   of   the   Allendale   oil 

field,   with  a  revised   structure  map:      Illinois   State  Geol.   Survey  Rept.   of 
Investigations  No.  7,  1925. 

Each  of  the  above  reports  appeared  during  or  shortly  after  a  period  of 
renewed  activity  in  the  field.  Now  new  developments  are  taking  place  which 
again  direct  the  attention  of  the  oil  operators  to  the  area.  Therefore  the 
present  report  has  been  prepared  to  present  new  data  to  producers  interested 
in  the  development  of  production  in  the  deeper  sands,  particularly  in  the 
McClosky  (  Ste.  Genevieve),  which  lately  has  been  proven  productive. 

Recent  Developm  ent 

Up  to  the  present  only  two  wells  in  Wabash  County  are  known  to  have 
prospected  as  deep  as  the  McClosky,  and  very  few  wells  have  gone  deep 
enough  to  test  the  other  Chester  sands  which  are  productive  in  the  Lawrence 
County  field.  .Most  of  the  latter  test^  were  not  located  on  the  most  favorable 
structures  in  the  county,  so  they  cannot  be  considered  particularly  significant. 
Accordingly,  the  possibility  of  finding  production  in  sands  corresponding  to 
the  Kirkwood  and  Tracy  sands  of  Lawrence  County  and  the  fact  of  produc- 
tion    from    the     McClosky     sand     in     the     Eastern     Gulf     Oil     Company's 


2  II. I  [N'OIS    P1CTKOLEUM 

Jesse  Cisel  well  No.  4  (  sec.  2,  T.  1  X.,  R.  12  W.)  make  such  deeper  prospect- 
in""  appear  particularly  attractive  at  the  present  time. 

The  Eastern  Gulf  (  )il  Company  completed  the  first  McClosky  sand 
well  for  Wahash  County  on  the  Cisel  farm  in  May,  L921  at  a  depth  of  2209 
feet.  After  drilling  about  two  or  three  feet  of  pay  sand,  the  drillers  found 
that  oil  was  rising  rapidly  in  the  well.  Soon  it  was  standing  within  a  few 
hundred  feet  of  the  surface,  and  popular  local  rumors  circulated  claiming 
that  the  well  would  make  from  100  to  1000  barrels  per  day.  Bailing  tests 
soon  shewed  the  error  of  these  gnoses,  and  later  pumping  has  demonstrated 
that  the  well  is  of  small  commercial  size. 

Shortly  after  the  drilling  of  this  well,  other  wells  were  planned  to  test 
the  newly  found  producing  horizon.  Among  them  was  a  well  on  the  Kogan 
farm,  just  north  of  the  Cisel  well,  which  was  drilled  as  a  test  of  the  Biehl 
sand  but  failed  to  find  production  there.  An  attempt  to  deepen  this  well 
resulted  in  failure  following  a  considerable  expenditure  of  money.  No  wells 
have  yet  been  drilled  to  the  McClosky  since  the  discovery  of  production,  but 
several  te>t^  are  reported  to  be  either  planned  or  started. 

Geology 

STRATIGRAPHY 

The  surface  in  Wabash  County  is  largely  covered  with  unconsolidated 
deposits  from  a  few  feet  to  a  hundred  feet  thick,  which  are  principally  sands, 
gravels,  and  clays  of  recent  origin,  unrelated  in  form  or  structure  to  the  folds 
in  the  underlying  consolidated  rocks  which  contain  the  oil  and  gas. 

The  consolidated  rocks  belong  to  the  Pennsylvanian  and  Mississippian 
systems.  Below  the  surface  deposits  are  found  about  L200  feet  of  rocks  of 
the  Pennsylvanian  system  which,  in  turn,  are  underlain  by  rocks  of  Missis- 
sippian age  of  which  only  the  upper  900  feel  are  known  from  wells  drilled 
in  Wabash  County.  If  conditions  in  Wabash  County  are  similar  to  those  in 
Lawrence  County  and  adjacent  areas  in  Indiana,  the  remainder  of  the  Mis- 
sissippian system  is  probably  represented  by  a  series  of  massive  limestone 
beds  and  a  basal  series  of  shales. 

The  character  ol  the  rocks,  and  die  correlations  of  the  sands  found  in 
Wabash  County  with  the  producing  sands  in  Lawrence  County  are  shown 
by  the  graphic  logs  of  two  typical  wells  in  southern  Lawrence  County,  and 
of  the  more  important  deep  wells  drilled  in  Wabash  County  and  an  adjacent 
portion  oi   Indiana.     (See  figure   1.) 

PRODUCING    HORIZONS 

The  producing  horizons  thus  far  proven  tor  Wabash  County  are  the 
Bridgeport  sand  oi   Pennsylvanian  age,  the  Biehl-Jordan  sands,  the  1600-foot 


DEEPER    PRODUCTION    IN    THE    ALLENDALE    OIL    FIELD 


TOTAL  DEPTH  2565 


2S402S60 

~     UE  LICK  WATER 

SMALL  OIL  SHOW 

2150 


Slate 
Sand 
Red  rock 

R. 


Limestone 
Shale 

Sandy  lime 


TOTAL  DEPTH  2286 


A.    Jane  Jones  well    No.   7.   sec.  28,  T.   2  X 
11   W.,  Lawrence  County. 

is.     Perkins  well    No.    1.   sec.    13,   T.   2  X.,    H.    11 
\\\,    Law  nine   County. 


('.     Big  Four  oil  Company's  Johnson   No.   1,  sec. 

6,  T.  1  V,  If.  11  W.,  Wabash  County. 
1).     Eastern    Gull     oil    Company's    Cisel     Xo.     4, 
sec.  2.  T.  1   X..  R.   12  W.,  Wabash  County. 
■'..    Eastern   Golf  oil  Company's   Steckler  No.   1, 
sec.  35.  T.  1  X.,  R.  12  W.,  Knox  County. 

Fig.  1.    Graphic  logs  of  typical  wells  with  correlation  of  the  producing  sands  in 

Lawrence  County  and  Wabash  County,   Illinois,  and  Knox   County,   Indiana. 

(Drawn  by  111.  State  Geol.  Survey.) 


I.I  I  \<>IS    PETROLEUM 


sand,  and  the  newly  developed  McClosky  sand,  all  of  Mississippian  age. 
Onlv  a  small  amount  of  additional  production  has  been  developed  in  the 
Bridgeport  or  1000-foot  sand  since  the  1925  report1,  and  this  sand  is  still  of 
minor  importance  as  an  oil  producer  in  Wabash  County. 

During  the  past  two  years  very  considerable  extensions  have  been  made 
to  the  producing  area  of  the  Biehl  sand  north  of  Allendale  where  the  sand  is 
found  at  a  depth  of  about  1400  feet  and  has  the  irregular  character  and 
lenticular  structure  typical  of  the  older  areas  producing  from  this  sand. 
Largely  as  a  result  of  the  developments  in  sees,  (i  and  7,  T.  1  X.,  R.  1  1  W.  and 
sees.  1  and  2,  T.  1  X..  R.  12  \Y..  the  Biehl  has  become  one  of  the  important  oil 
producing  sands  of  Illinois.  Evidence  of  a  "robber  sand"  has  been  found 
in  at  least  a  part  of  the  new  producing  area.  Kogan  well  No.  1  in  sec.  1. 
T.  1  X..  R.  12  W.  was  deepened  when  the  production  had  declined  to  about 
50  barrels  per  day.  The  drillers  noticed  that  they  went  through  a  hard  streak 
in  the  sand  a  few  ieet  below  the  point  at  which  the  well  had  stopped  orig- 
inally, and  then  into  softer  sand  again.  The  well  was  tested  but  gave  prac- 
tically no  oil.  Later,  lead  wool  was  used  to  plug  the  well  back  to  the 
top  of  the  hard  streak,  and  the  production  increased.  The  presence  of  this 
peculiar  condition  suggests  the  need  for  care  in  drilling  and  shooting  wells 
in  this  part  of  the  field. 

A  sand  of  Chester  age  (the  1600-foot  sand)  which  is  found  11)5  to  2  1  ■"> 
feet  below  the  top  of  the  Biehl  cap  rock  has  proven  productive  in  two  sep- 
arate areas  in  Wabash  County.  The  first  well  producing  from  this  deeper 
sand  wa>  completed  in  L926,  by  Charles  Foreman  and  others  on  the  Cisel 
heirs'  farm  in  sec.  1,  T.  1  X.,  R.  12  W.  Subsequently  other  wells  in  that 
vicinity  have  been  drilled  to  this  sand,  but  none  of  them  have  been  large  pro- 
ducers. 

More  recently,  wells  producing  from  the  1600-foot  sand  have  been  com- 
pleted south  of  Allendale  on  the  J.  VV.  Price  farm  in  sec.  14,  T.  1  X.,  R.  12  \\\, 
indicating  that  the  1600-foot  sand  is  probably  present  over  a  consider- 
able area  and  that  tests  should  be  drilled  to  it  on  the  higher  parts  of  other 
known  structures  as  outlined  on  the  structure  map  (fig.  '<!). 

Eastern  Gulf  ( >il  Company's  J.  Cisel  No.  2  in  sec.  2,  T.  1  X.,  R.  12  W. 
was  cored  through  the  1600-foot  sand'-'.  The  solid  pieces  of  sand  obtained 
showed  that  much  of  the  sand  in  this  well  was  cemented  by  a  limy  material 
and  that  only  a  small  proportion  ot  the  sand  was  permeable  enough  to  be 
very  productive.  This  condition  is  believed  to  account  for  the  small  size  of 
the  wells  which  have  so  far  been  found  in  this  sand.     It  is  entirely  probable 

1  Moulton,  Gail  !•'..  Further  contributions  to  the  geology  of  the  Allendale  oil  field, 
with  a  revised  structure  map:  Illinois  State  Geol.,  Survey  Kept,  of  Investigations 
No.   7,   1925. 

2  Moulton,  Gail  !•'.,  Notes  cm  a  core  l > 1 1  for  cable  tools:  Illinois  state  Geol.  Survey 
Press   Bulletin   Series.   Illinois   Petroleum  No.   2,   .May   29,   1926. 


HI  I  I'll;   PRODUCTION    IN    THE   ALLENDALE   OIL    FIELD  5 

that  in  some  other  parts  of  the  Wabash  County  fields  better  sand  conditions 
will  be  found  and  larger  wells  will  result. 

The  McClosky  sand  is  the  only  one  of  the  deeper  producing  sands  of 
Lawrence  County  which  has  been  proved  productive  in  Wabash  County. 
Two  wells  have  tested  this  horizon  in  Wabash  County,  and  two  others  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  county  have  tested  most  of  the  possible  oil  sands 
overlying  the  .McClosky.  (See  tig.  1  tor  logs,  and  table  of  logs,  pp.  5-15, 
for  drillers*  records  and  geologic  interpretation  thereof.)  The  wells 
testing  the  McClosky  are  those  drilled  by  Norwood  Johnson  on  the  W.  ( ). 
lohnson  farm.  sec.  (i.  T.  1  X..  R.  1  1  \Y..  and  by  the  Eastern  Gulf  Oil  Com- 
pany on  the  J.  Cisel  farm,  sec.  'i,  T.  1  X.,  R.  L2  W.  Other  deep  wells  were 
drilled  by  Treat  and  Hays  on  the  J.  E.  Taylor  farm.  sec.  7,  T.  1  X..  R.  12  \\  ., 
and  hv  the  Arkansas  Fuel  Oil  Company  on  the  Otis  Matheny  farm,  sec.  IS, 
T.  1   X.,  R.  \'i  W.     The  log  of  the  latter  well  is  given  in  the  table  of  logs. 

The  McClosky  has  been  found  to  lie  approximately  800  feet  below  the 
top  of  the  Biehl  cap  rock  in  Wabash  County.  As  far  as  can  be  determined 
now,  there  should  be  no  large  variation  in  this  interval  in  the  county  except 
that  it  will  probably  increase  to  the  west,  for  all  of  the  rocks,  both  Pennsyl- 
vanian  and  Chester,  seem  to  thicken  down  the  west  dip.  In  other  words, 
the  west  dip  in  the  lower  Chester  beds  may  be  expected  to  be  somewhat 
steeper  than  in  the  upper  Chester  and  Pennsylvanian. 

The  McClosky  of  Lawrence  County  is  somewhat  irregular  in  porosity 
although  in  some  pools  it  has  been  found  to  be  a  rather  consistent  producer 
over  areas  of  several  hundred  acres.  Consequently,  the  problem  of  develop- 
ing production  from  this  pay  is  somewhat  similar  to  locating  production  in 
the  Biehl  sand;  the  proper  combination  of  sand  conditions  and  structure  must 
be  found. 

In  the  Eastern  Gulf  (  )il  Company's  Cisel  No.  4,  the  McClosky  zone 
has  at  least  two  porous  streaks,  the  lower  one  of  which  carries  water.  It 
seems  possible,  therefore,  that  drilling  higher  on  the  local  dome  in  that 
vicinity  might  show  the  lower  pay  to  be  oil-bearing  and  might  result  in  more 
satisfactory  production. 

I  )rillj  ng  Records 
Several  logs  arc  given  below  to  show  the  nature  of  the  formations  pene- 
trated, the  geologic  interpretation  of  the  data,  and  the  depths  ol  the  various 
sands.    A  record  of  the  pipe  used  is  also  given. 

DriUii's  log  from  Big  Four  Oil  Company's  well  No.  I  on  Johnson  farm  in  WW.  Vi 

NE.  Vi  sec.  6,  T.  I  A'..  B.  //   W. 

Elevation — 410±  feet 

Thickness      Depth 
Pleistocene  system  Feet  Feet 

1.  Soil   and    sand 20  20 

2.  Gravel    10  30 


6  ILLINOIS    PETROLEUM 

Driller's  log  from  Big  Four  Oil  Company's  Johnson  No.  1 — Continued 

Unconformity  Thickness      Depth 

Feet  Feet 

3.  Slate    15  45 

4.  Quicksand    23  68 

Pennsylvanian  system 

5.  Slate    12  80 

6.  Sand ;   hole  full  of  water 20  100 

7.  Slate    25  125 

8.  Shell,   sandy   5  130 

9.  Slate    75  205 

10.  Lime    8  213 

11.  Slate,  red    2  215 

12.  Slate    5  220 

13.  Lime    20  240 

14.  Slate    75  315 

15.  Lime    10  325 

16.  Slate    2  327 

17.  Lime    8  335 

18.  Slate    55  390 

19.  Sand,  hard;   12  bailers  of  water 36  426 

20.  Lime    5  431 

21.  Sand    35  466 

22.  Slate    12  478 

23.  Lime,   broken   37  515 

24.  Coal    2  517 

25.  Lime    7  524 

26.  Slate    6  530 

27.  Lime    20  550 

28.  Slate    4  554 

29.  Sand    22  576 

30.  Slate    5  581 

31.  Lime,  hard    3  584 

32.  Slate    6  590 

33.  Sand    12  602 

34.  Lime    4  606 

35.  Slate    10  616 

36.  Lime,  hard    12  628 

37.  Slate    12  640 

38.  Lime 10  650 

39.  Slate    85  735 

40.  Lime    3           -       738 

41.  Slate 20  758 

42.  Lime    2  760 

43.  Slate    62  822 

44.  Lime    5  827 

45.  Slate    13  840 

46.  Lime    8  848 

47.  Slate    42  890 

48.  Lime    2  892 

49.  Slate 38  930 


Hi  I  I'l  K    PRODUCTION    IN    THE    ALLENDALE   oil.    FIELD 


Driller's  log  from  Big  Four  Oil  Company's  Johnson  Xo.  I — Continued 

Thickness      Depth 


50. 
51. 
52. 
53. 
54. 
55. 
56. 
57. 
58. 
59. 
60. 
61. 
62. 
63. 


64. 
65. 
66. 
67. 
68. 
69. 
70. 
71. 
72. 
73. 
74. 
75. 
76. 
77. 
78. 
79. 
80. 
81. 
82. 
83. 
84. 
85. 
86. 
87. 
88. 
89. 
90. 
91. 
92. 
93. 


Feet 

Lime,  gritty    20 

Slate    45 

Lime,  hard    2 

Slate    37 

Sand,  hard    12 

Sand,  soft ;  show  of  oil 3 

Sand,   hard    7 

Slate    2 

Lime,  hard    4 

Slate     4 

Lime    14 

Lime,  hroken    40 

Slate    74 

Sand    61 

Unconformity 
Mississippian  system 
Chester  series 

Slate    13 

Lime    5 

Slate     3 

Lime    4 

Slate    56 

Lime    8 

Sand,  water   8 

Slate    2 

Lime     6 

Sand,  water   12 

Slate 4 

Lime   6 

Slate     2 

Lime   14 

Slate     7 

Lime     3 

Slate    4 

Lime    6 

Slate    3 

Lime   4 

Slate    21 

Lime    2 

Slate    22 

Sand,  soft    24 

Sand,  hard    23 

Slate    4 

Lime    4 

Lime   5 

Slate    2 

Lime    5 


Feet 
950 
995 

997 
1034 
1046 
1049 
1056 
1058 
1062 
1066 
1080 
1120 
1194 
1255 


1268 
1273 
1276 
1280 
1336 
1344 
1352 
1354 
1360 
1372 
1376 
1382 
1384 
1398 
1405 
1408 
1412 
1418 
1421 
1425 
1446 
1448 
1470 
1494 
1517 
1521 
1525 
1530 
1532 
1537 


8  ILLINOIS    I'ETUOLKUM 

Driller's  log  from  Big  Four  Oil  Company's  Johnson  No.  1 — Concluded 

Thickness      Depth 

Feet  Feet 

94.  Slate    8  1545 

95.  Lime,    broken    8  1553 

96.  Sand,  water    30  1583 

97.  Slate    3  1586 

98.  Lime    9  1595 

99.  Sand,   broken 25  1620 

100.  Sand,   water    25  1645 

101.  Slate    2  1647 

102.  Lime,  hard    18  1665 

103.  Slate  and  broken  lime 19  1684 

104.  Slate 13  1697 

105.  Lime,  hard    4  1701 

106.  Sand,   hard    18  1719 

107.  Slate    .' 2  1721 

108.  Sand,   hard    12  1733 

109.  Slate    3  1736 

110.  Lime    12  1748 

111.  Sand,  hard    15  1763 

112.  Slate    45  1808 

113.  Lime,  hard    14  1822 

114.  Slate    20  1842 

115.  Rock,  red  11  1853 

116.  Slate   12  1865 

117.  Lime    2  1867 

118.  Slate     24  1891 

119.  Sand     6  1897 

120.  Slate    6  1903 

121.  Lime    25  1928 

122.  Slate     6  1934 

123.  Lime   11  1945 

124.  Slate    2  1947 

125.  Lime     5  1952 

126.  Slate    23  1975 

127.  Lime    5  1980 

128.  Sand,   water    8  1988 

129.  Lime    47  2035 

130.  Slate    3  2038 

131.  Lime    30  2068 

132.  Rock,    red    2  2070 

133.  Lime     65  2135 

134.  Sand;  water,  8  bailers  at  2140  feet 19  2154 

Pipe  record 
Casing  Depth  set 

Size  Feet 

16-inch    73 

12%-inch    190 

10-inch    650 

8%-inch    1525 


DKEPKR    PRODUCTION    IN    THE    ALLENDALE   OIL    FIELD  9 

Pipe  record 
Casing  Depth  set 

Nice  Feet 

6%-inch     1697 

5  3/16-inch   2000 

Driller's  log  ]ru»i   Eastern  Gulf  Oil  Company's  well  Ko.   )  on  Cisel  farm   in  SE.  \i 
8E.  y4   see.  2,  T.  I  .V..  R.   12  W. 

Thickness      Depth 

Feet  Fed 
Pleistocene  system 

1.  Clay,   yellow,   soft 20  20 

2.  Mud.  blue,  soft Hi  36 

Unconformity 

Pennsylvanian  system 

3.  Slate,  dark    29  65 

4.  Sand,  light,  soft 55  120 

5.  Slate,  dark,  soft 38  158 

6.  Sand,   light,   soft 4  162 

7.  Slate,  light,  soft 75  237 

8.  Sand,  light,  soft 53  290 

9.  Slate,  light,  soft 145  435 

10.  Coal,  black,  soft 2  437 

11.  Slate,  light    3  440 

12.  Lime,   light,   hard 3  443 

13.  Slate,  light,  soft 14  457 

14.  Sand,  light,  soft;   3  bailers  of  water 28  485 

15.  Slate,  dark    20  505 

16.  Slate,  light    6  511 

17.  Lime,  light,  hard 4  515 

18.  Sand,  light,  soft;    hole  full  of  water 22  537 

19.  Slate,  dark,  soft 50  587 

20.  Slate,  light    S  595 

21.  Sand,   light,   soft 63  658 

22.  Lime,  light,  hard 2  660 

23.  Slate,  dark,  soft 12  672 

24.  Slate,  light,  soft 16  688 

25.  Lime,   light,   hard 6  694 

26.  Sand,  light,  soft 10  704 

27.  Slate,  light,  soft 2S  732 

28.  Sand,  light,  soft 8  740 

29.  Slate,  dark,  soft 9  749 

30.  Coal,  dark,  soft 3  752 

31.  Slate,  dark,  soft 5  757 

32.  Sand.  light    6  763 

33.  Slate,  dark,  soft 99  862 

34.  Lime,   light,  hard 2  864 

35.  Slate,   light,   soft 12  876 

36.  Slate,  dark,  soft 18  894 

37.  Slate,  light,  soft 11  905 

38.  Lime,   light,  hard 3  908 


10 


ILLINOIS    I'ETISOLKI'M 


Driller's  log  from   Eastern   Gulf  Oil  Company's  Cisel  No. 


39.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

40.  Slate,  light,  soft 

41.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

42.  Slate,   light,    soft 

43.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

44.  Sand,  light,  soft 

45.  Slate,   dark,    soft 

46.  Sand,  light,  soft 

47.  Slate,  dark   

48.  Lime,  broken,  light,  soft 

49.  Sand,  light,  soft;  hole  full  of  water 

50.  Slate,  light,  soft 

51.  Sand,  light,  soft 

Unconformity 
Mississippian  system 
Chester  series 

52.  Slate,   light,   soft 

53.  Lime,   gray,  hard 

54.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

55.  Lime,  light,  hard 

56.  Sand,  light,  soft 

57.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

58.  Lime,   gray,   hard 

59.  Slate,   brown,   soft 

60.  Sand,  light,  soft 

61.  Slate,  light,  soft 

62.  Lime,   white,  hard 

63.  Slate,  light,  soft 

64.  Lime,   light,   hard 

65.  Slate,  light,  soft 

66.  Sand,   light,   hard 

67.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

68.  Sand,  light,  soft 

69.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

70.  Lime,  light,  hard 

71.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

72.  Lime,  broken,  gray,  soft;    show  of  oil  at  1560 

73.  Sand,  broken,  soft 

74.  Sand,  light,  soft 

75.  Sand,  broken,  hard 

76.  Sand,   light,   hard 

77.  Sand,   black,   soft 

78.  Sand,  light,  soft 

79.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

80.  Lime,  light,  hard 

81.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

82.  Sand,  light,  soft 

83.  Slate,  dark,  soft 


J — Continue 

>d 

Thickness 

Depth 

Feet 

Feet 

19 

927 

55 

982 

74 

1056 

14 

1070 

16 

1086 

8 

1094 

64 

1158 

4 

1162 

23 

1185 

12 

1197 

63 

1260 

4 

1264 

62 

1326 

2 

1328 

6 

1334 

23 

1357 

3 

1360 

14 

1374 

64 

1438 

2 

1440 

3 

1443 

2 

1445 

11 

1456 

6 

1462 

11 

1473 

4 

1477 

16 

1493 

7 

1500 

13 

1513 

10 

1523 

22 

1545 

3 

1548 

8 

1556 

4 

1560 

10 

1570 

2 

1572 

5 

1577 

9 

1586 

8 

1594 

88 

1682 

4 

1686 

26 

1712 

24 

1736 

3 

1739 

16 

1755 

DEEPER    PRODUCTION    IN    THE    ALLENDALE    OIL    FIELD  11 

Driller's  log  from   Eastern   dull   Oil  Company's  Cisel  Xo.  .'/ — Concluded 

Thickness      Depth 

Feet  Feet 

84.  Lime,   light,  hard 5  1760 

85.  Slate,  light,  soft 4  1764 

86.  Lime,  light,  hard 11  1775 

87.  Slate,  dark,  soft 5  1780 

88.  Lime,  light,  hard 10  1790 

89.  Slate,  light,  soft 7  1797 

90.  Lime,  light,  hard 28  1825 

91.  Slate,  dark,  soft 29  1854 

92.  Lime,  light,  hard 14  1868 

93.  Slate,  dark,  soft 27  1895 

94.  Rock,   red    12  1907 

95.  Sand,  broken,  soft;    show  of  oil 8  1915 

96.  Sand,  light,  gray 28  1943 

97.  Slate,  dark,  soft 10  1953 

98.  Sand,  light    28  1981 

99.  Lime,   gray,   hard 9  1990 

100.  Slate,  light,   soft 10  2000 

101.  Lime,  light,  hard    13  2013 

102.  Slate,  dark,  soft;    rainbow  in  bottom— Tracy    (?) 45  2058 

103.  Lime,  gray,  hard 5  2063 

104.  Slate,   dark,   soft 5  2068 

105.  Rock,   red,    soft 9  2077 

106.  Lime,  light,   hard 6  2083 

107.  Slate,  light,  soft    7  2090 

108.  Lime,  dark,   hard    5  2U95 

109.  Slate,    light,    soft 5  2100 

110.  Lime,  light,  hard 12  2112 

111.  Slate,  light,  soft   5  2117 

112.  Lime,  light,   hard    86  2203 

113.  Lime,  light,  soft 4  2207 

114.  McClosky    sand    2  2209 

115.  No   record    5  2214 

Pipe  record 
Casing  Depth  set 

Size  Feet 

8%-inch    1330 

6%-inch     1705 

5    3/16-inch    1983 

Driller's  log  fro*x   Ellinson's  well  No.  1  on  Price  farm,  in  center  of  E.  %  sec.  1'/. 

T.  1  X..  R.  12  W. 

Thickness      Depth 

Feet  Feet 

Interval    190  190 

Pennsylvanian  system 

1.  Shale    20  210 

2.  Slate 90  300 

3.  Slate,   blus    40  340 

4.  Lime,    gray     10  350 


12  ILLINOIS    PETROLEUM 

Driller's  log  from  Ellinson's  Price  No.   1 — Concluded 

Thickness      Depth 

Feet  Feet 

5.  Slate,  blue    50  400 

6.  Slate,  white    50  450 

7.  Lime,  blue    10  460 

8.  Slate,  blue   60  520 

9.  Sand,  white ;   7  bailers  of  water 10  530 

10.  Slate,    blue    45  575 

11.  Sand,  white;   hole  full  of  water 15  590 

12.  Slate,   gray    60  650 

13.  Slate,  dark    90  740 

14.  Lime,  blue  10  750 

15.  Slate,   gray    15  765 

16.  Slate,  blue    25  790 

17.  Slate,   black    40  830 

18.  Lime,   gray    10  840 

19.  Shale,  light    105  945 

20.  Lime,  brown    5  950 

21.  Sand,   light,  hard    10  960 

22.  Slate,  dark    10  970 

23.  Lime,  dark    10  980 

24.  Slate,  dark    80  1060 

25.  Lime,    hard    5  1065 

26.  Slate,   gray    10  1075 

27.  Slate,  light 25  1100 

28.  Slate,   white    50  1150 

29.  Sand,   hard    10  1160 

30.  Slate,   white    10  1170 

31.  Sand,   white    120  1290 

Unconformity 
Mississippian  system 
Chester   series 

32.  Slate,   dark    20  1310 

33.  Lime     10  1320 

34.  Sand,    hard,    white 60  1380 

35.  Lime,  brown   15  1395 

36.  Slate,  dark    25  1420 

37.  Slate,   gray    60  1480 

38.  Slate,  blue  20  1500 

39.  Sand     20  1520 

40.  Slate  and  sand 15  1535 

41.  Lime,  hard    5  1540 

42.  Slate,  broken    40  1580 

43.  Lime,  dark,   hard 7  1587 

44.  Sand  oil  7  1594 

45.  Slate  and   sand,   broken 3  1597 

Casing  Pipe  record  Depth  set 

Size  Feet 

814-inch    765 

6%-inch    1390 


DEEPER    l'UODrt  Tlo.N    IX    THE    ALLENDALE   Oil.    FIELD 


13 


Driller's  log  from  Eastern  Gulj  Oil  Company's  well  No.  J  on  Steckler  farm  in  SE.  % 
NW.  %  sec.  85,  T.   1  N.,  A'.   12   \Y . 


Elevation  410±  feet 


Thickness      Depth 
Feet  Feet 


Pleistocene  system 

1.  Soil     8  8 

2.  Quicksand     16  24 

3.  Gravel     6  30 

4.  Sand     48  78 

Unconformity 
Pennsylvanian  system 

5.  Slate    5  83 

6.  Lime,  gray,   hard 5  88 

7.  Slate,   white    132  220 

8.  Sand    5  225 

9.  Slate,  dark    8  233 

10.  Slate,   light    27  260 

11.  Lime,  gray,   hard 5  265 

12.  Slate     3  268 

13.  Lime,    white,   hard 17  285 

14.  Rock,    red    3  288 

15.  Slate    212  500 

16.  Sand    5  505 

17.  Slate     30  535 

18.  Sand;   water,  6  bailers 10  545 

19.  Slate 20  565 

20.  Sand     4  569 

21.  Slate     13  582 

22.  Sand    18  600 

23.  Slate    12  612 

24.  Sand     38  640 

25.  Slate    138  778 

26.  Lime     4  782 

27.  Slate    73  855 

28.  Lime,   gray    4  859 

29.  Slate    30  889 

30.  Lime,   white    2  891 

31.  Slate    2  893 

32.  Lime,  soft,  broken 6  899 

33.  Lime,   hard    5  904 

34.  Slate    33  937 

35.  Lime,   brown   3  940 

36.  Slate    ." 20  960 

37.  Lime    7  967 

38.  Slate,   light    83  1050 

39.  Slate,   dark    10  1060 


14 


ILLINOIS   PETROLEUM 


Driller's  log  from  Eastern  Gulf  Oil  Company's  Steckler  No.  1 — Continued 

Thickness      Depth 


Feet 

40.  Slate,  light    29 

41.  Lime,  brown,  hard    4 

42.  Sand,   light    17 

43.  Slate    20 

44.  Sand,  light;  hole  full  of  water  at  1136  feet 40 

45.  Slate    60 

46.  Sand    130 


Unconformity 
Mississippian  system 
Chester  series 

47.  Slate    

48.  Lime    

49.  Slate,   dark    

50.  Sand,  broken,  dark,  soft 

51.  Slate,  dark,  soft 

52.  Lime,  broken,  light,  soft 

53.  Sand,  broken,  light,  soft 

54.  Sand,  broken,  brown 

55.  Sand,  brown,  soft 

56.  Lime,  brown,  hard 

57.  Slate,  gray,  dark;   fragments  of  coal 

58.  Lime,  sandy,   soft 

59.  Lime,  gray,  hard 

60.  Slate,   dark,   soft 

61.  Lime,   light,   hard 

62.  Slate,   dark,   soft 

63.  Lime,   light,   hard 

64.  Slate,   dark,   hard 

65.  Lime,  light,  hard 

66.  Sand,  light,  soft;  pyrite  and  coal 

67.  Slate,  dark,   soft 

68.  Sand,  light,   soft 

69.  Slate,   dark,   soft 

70.  Lime,  gray,  hard 

71.  Slate,   dark,  soft 

72.  Sand,   light    

73.  Slate,   dark    

74.  Lime,  light    

75.  Slate,   dark    

76.  Lime,  light    

77.  Sand,   light    

78.  Lime,  light    

79.  Lime,  broken,  soft 

80.  Slate,   dark    

81.  Rock,  red  

82.  Slate,   dark    

83.  Lime,  light    


Feet 
1089 
1093 
1110 
1130 
1170 
1230 
1360 


34 

1394 

1 

1395 

16 

1411 

6 

1417 

27 

1444 

19 

1463 

5 

1468 

3 

1471 

13 

1484 

8 

1492 

19 

1511 

9 

1520 

2 

1522 

5 

1527 

17 

1544 

9 

1553 

2 

1555 

21 

1576 

6 

1582 

14 

1596 

8 

1604 

44 

1648 

5 

1653 

6 

1659 

22 

1681 

12 

1693 

5 

1698 

3 

1701 

2 

1703 

7 

1710 

40 

1750 

40 

1790 

20 

1810 

15 

1825 

6 

1831 

13 

1844 

6 

1850 

DEEPER   PRODUCTION    IX   THE   AL1, 1:\PAI.K  oil,   FIELD  15 

Driller's  log  from  Eastern  Gulf  Oil  Company's  Steckler  No.  I — Concluded 

Thickness  Depth 

Feet  Feet 

84.  Slate,   dark    14  1864 

85.  Lime,  broken,   light 26  1890 

86.  Rock,  red  4  1894 

87.  Slate,   dark    42  1936 

88.  Lime,  light    7  1943 

89.  Slate    19  1962 

90.  Sand,   light    8  1970 

91.  Rock,  red  16  1986 

92.  Slate,   dark    6  1992 

93.  Sand ;   water,  2  bailers 20  2012 

94.  Slate,  dark    5  2017 

95.  Sand,  light    7  2024 

96.  Slate,  black  19  2043 

97.  Sand,   light    8  2051 

98.  Slate    6  2057 

99.  Lime    12  2069 

100.  Sand ;  oil  from  2069  to  2071  feet 3  2072 

101.  Shale,   dark   5  2077 

102.  Sand;  water,  5  bailers  an  hour 16  2093 

103.  Slate    3  2096 

104.  Lime,   light,   hard 7  2103 

105.  Sand ;  oil  from  2103  to  2105  feet 47  2150 

106.  Lime    13  2163 

107.  Sand ;   water  rose  700  feet 4  2167 

108.  Slate;  streaks  of  red  rock 8  2175 

109.  Lime    13  2188 

110.  Slate    2  2190 

111.  Lime;    blue  lick  water 96  2286 

Pipe  record 
Casing  Depth  set 

Size  Feet 

10-inch     213 

814-inch    855 

6%-inch    1657 

5  3/16-inch   2175 

Structure 
The  structural  features  of  a  portion  of  Wabash  County  are  shown  on 
the  map.  fig.  2,  by  contours  giving  the  elevation  of  the  cap  rock  of  the  Biehl 
sand  below  sea  level.  These  contours  are  on  the  same  bed  contoured  in  the 
last  previous  report,  but  the  interpretation  of  the  data  given  is  somewhat 
different,  particularly  in  the  northeast  and  east  part  of  the  county.  The  two 
earlier  maps3  for  that  part  of  the  county  were  not  based  on  as  complete  data 

» Collingwood,  D.  M„  Extension  of  Allendale  oil  field:  Illinois  State  Geol.  Survey 
Press  Bulletin,  May  17,  1924. 

Moulton,  Gail  P.,  Further  contributions  to  the  geology  of  the  Allendale  oil  field, 
with  a  revised  structure  map:  Illinois  Stale  Geol.  Survey  Kept,  of  Investigations 
Nil    7,    lH2.r>. 


16 


ILLINOIS    PETROLEUM 


as  the  present  map,  for  little  drilling  had  been  done  in  that  area  until  slightly 
less  than  two  years  ago.  The  structure  of  the  Pennsylvanian  rocks  could 
not  be  relied  upon  to  determine  the  details  of  the  structure  of  the  Chester 
beds.  Nearly  all  (if  the  wells  which  furnished  the  data  for  the  earlier  maps, 
as  well  as  for  the  present  one,  were  drilled  only  125  to  200  feet  into  the 


WBENCfi.. 


IAWRENI 


EoUntv 


Contour  interval  25  feet 

'ft///////.      Area  recommended  for  deep  drilling 

Scale 


l/2 


"H/2  Miles 


Fig.  2.    Structure  map  of  part  of  the  Allendale  field.     Contours  show  elevation  of 
Biehl  sand  in  feet  below  sea  level. 

Chester.  Since  no  persistent  limestones  or  other  beds  which  serve  as  de- 
pendable markers  occur  in  this  part  of  the  Chester,  correlations  are  very  un- 
certain except  for  wells  only  a  short  distance  apart.  The  recent  drilling 
supplied  the  additional  information  needed  to  give  the  correct  correlation  of 
the  records  of  wells  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  with  those  to  the  west, 


DEEPER    PRODUCTION     IN    THE    ALLENDALE    OIL    FIELD  17 

SO  that  it  is  now  known  that  the  eastward  dip  shown  in  Wabash  County  in 
the  earlier  maps  does  not  exist. 

As  the  map  (fig.  2)  shows,  the  general  structure  of  Wabash  County  is 
a  westward  dipping  monocline.  The  general  dip  is  interrupted  by  several 
terraces  and  low  domes  which  have  been  largely  responsible  for  the  accumu- 
lation of  the  various  oil  pools  of  the  county.  Beyond  the  western  limit  of 
the  present  map  the  rate  of  west  dip  increases  so  considerably  that  there  is 
little  hope  of  finding  structures  capable  of  causing  oil  accumulation  developed 
on  the  slope. 

A  very  short  distance  north  of  the  Wabash  County  line  in  Lawrence 
Count}-,  the  Chester  beds  rise  rapidly  to  the  north  without  any  corresponding 
rise  in  the  Pennsylvanian  beds,  so  that  several  hundred  feet  of  the  upper 
Chester  beds  which  are  present  in  Wabash  County  are  missing  in  Lawrence 
County.  These  relations  are  indicated  by  the  correlation  lines  drawn  con- 
necting certain  equivalent  beds  in  figure  1  which  shows  in  graphic  form  the 
succession  of  beds  found  in  a  few  typical  wells.  Because  of  this  relation 
between  the  Chester  and  Pennsylvanian,  the  present  producing  sands  in  the 
upper  Chester  beds  in  Wabash  County  are  not  known  in  Lawrence  County, 
and  the  principal  producing  sands  of  Lawrence  County  are  so  much  further 
below  the  Buchanan  sand  at  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  that  few  operators 
have  realized  that  they  were  not  testing  these  sands  by  drilling  to   1600  feet. 

Further  Prospecting 

This  report  recommends  further  prospecting  by  deeper  drilling-  only  in 
areas  already  known  to  be  structurally  favorable  for  oil  accumulation  as  a 
considerable  amount  of  development  should  be  undertaken  to  determine  the 
conditions  in  the  deeper  sands,  and  the  information  now  available  does  not 
indicate  the  presence  of  untested  favorable  structures.  Results  of  recent 
development,  however,  clearly  show  that  the  possibilities  of  deeper  produc- 
tion in  and  near  the  present  producing  area  are  good.  Certain  areas  in 
which  testing  of  lower  horizons  down  to  and  including  the  McClosky  sand 
is  considered  advisable  have  been  outlined  on  the  structure  map,  figure  2. 
Since  nearly  all  of  the  leases  within  these  areas  are  held  by  production,  there 
is  some  likelihood  that  no  active  campaign  of  deeper  drilling  will  be  under- 
taken in  the  near  future. 

Prospecting  in  the  1600-foot  and  the  McClosky  sands  in  particular 
and  the  lower  Chester  sands  in  general  is  recommended  on  the  hasis  of 
geologic  structure  determined  from  elevations  of  the  top  of  the  Biehl  cap 
ruck  because  that  is  the  only  Chester  horizon  for  which  data  scattered  over 
the  field  generally  are  available  and  because  it  is  believed  that  the  structure 
of  the  lower  beds  will  be  found  to  resemble  closely  that  of  the  Biehl  except 


18  ILLINOIS    PETROLEUM 

that  the  west  dips  will  probably  be  somewhat  steeper.  The  east  or  reverse 
dip,  however,  seems  to  be  principally  the  result  of  later  folding  which  affected 
the  lower  and  upper  Chester  alike. 

From  an  examination  of  published  data  on  the  Lawrence  County  fields4, 
it  appears  that  some  of  the  best  McClosky  production  has  been  obtained  from 
wells  located  near  abrupt  changes  in  dip  as,  for  example,  where  a  steep  dip 
flattens  out  or  changes  to  a  dip  in  the  opposite  direction.  If  similar  struc- 
tural features  are  most  favorable  in  Wabash  County,  the  areas  shown  in  sees. 
8  and  9,  T.  1  N.,  R.  12  W.,  as  suitable  for  testing  should  have  an  excellent 
chance  of  getting  worthwhile  production  in  the  McClosky  sand  because 
immediately  west  of  each  of  these  small  domes  the  westward  dip  is  pro- 
nounced. 

Prospecting  for  deeper  production  is  also  urged  for  all  of  the  other 
shaded  areas  shown  on  the  map,  figure  2.  Each  area  is  believed  to  have 
good  possibilities  of  getting  production  in  one  or  more  of  the  deeper  sands 
down  to  and  including  the  McClosky.  It  seems  somewhat  likely  that  deeper 
testing  on  the  high  parts  of  the  present  producing  structures  will  result  in 
the  discovery  of  production  in  some  of  the  other  Chester  sands  which  are 
now  producing  in  Lawrence  County.  As  most  of  the  wells  drilled  deep 
enough  to  test  the  Kirkwood  and  Tracy  sands  were  in  locations  of  doubtful 
merit  and  did  not  adequately  test  defined  structures,  it  is  not  demonstrated 
that  production  cannot  be  expected  from  the  equivalents  of  both  these 
horizons.  Therefore,  wells  drilled  to  test  the  McClosky  should  be  cased  to 
exclude  water  as  far  as  possible  in  order  to  determine  conditions  in  these 
other  sands.  The  Kirkwood  and  Tracy  sands  are  reported  to  have  had 
shows  of  oil  in  the  deep  well  of  the  Eastern  Gulf  Oil  Company  on  the  Cisel 
farm  in  sec.  2,  Wabash  Township,  and  also  in  the  deep  test  on  the  Steckler 
farm,  Decker  Township,  Knox  County,  Indiana.  These  reports  are  import- 
ant for  they  are  known  to  be  reliable,  and  they  encourage  the  hope  that  the 
Kirkwood  and  Tracy  sands  may  be  productive  in  Wabash  County. 

For  the  present  it  is  advised  that  testing  should  not  be  carried  below 
the  McClosky  horizons,  but  operators  should  be  sure  that  they  have  drilled 
all  of  the  porous  zones  of  the  McClosky  before  abandoning  a  well.  This 
statement  is  based  on  the  fact  that  although  a  number  of  tests  have  been 
drilled  several  hundred  feet  into  the  main  Mississippi  lime  in  both  south- 
eastern Illinois  and  southwestern  Indiana,  wells  in  only  one  locality  in  In- 
diana are  reported  to  have  given  any  promise  of  oil  production  from  the 
lower  part  of  the  lime.  In  consideration  of  the  present  price  of  oil  and  the 
great  cost  of  such  drilling,  testing  below  the  McClosky  is  not  believed  to 
be  worth  undertaking  at  the  present  time. 


4  Rich,    John    L.,    Oil    and    gas    in    the    Vincennes    quadrangle:      Illinois    State    Geol. 
Survey  Bull.  33,  pp.  164-166,  and  map,   1916. 


DEEPER    PRODUCTION     IN    THE    AI.I. i:\liAI.K    OIL    III: I.I)  19 

Casing 

A  word  of  caution  in  regard  to  casing  should  lie  heeded  by  operators 
in  Wabash  County.  In  several  instances  wells  which  were  started  for  a 
test  of  the  Biehl  sand  at  1400  feet  have  been  carried  deeper  in  an  atleir.pt 
to  test  the  McClosky  sand  at  2200  feet.  As  the  6-Hs-inch  casing  is  usually 
set  above  the  Biehl  sand  to  case  out  the  water  from  the  Buchanan  sand,  and 
as  several  water-bearing  sands  interbedded  with  cavey  shales  are  commonly 
found  in  the  next  few  hundred  feet,  an  attempt  to  continue  drilling  such  a 
hole  to  2200  feet  is  at  best  very  expensive  and  may  result  in  failure.  It 
is  therefore  strongly  urged  that  future  wells  drilled  as  possible  tests  to  the 
McClosky  sand  be  started  with  large  enough  casing  to  permit  an  8-inch  hole 
to  be  carried  to  at  least  the  first  water  sand  below  the  Biehl.  In  this  way  it 
should  be  possible  to  avoid  much  of  the  expensive  underreaming,  fighting  a 
cavey  hole,  and  drilling  with  light  tools  inside  a  .">  ;>  L6-inch  casing,  which 
must  be  undertaken  if  present  Biehl  sand  producers  are  deepened.  Appar- 
ently the  cost  of  deepening  such  a  well  in  many  cases  is  as  great  as  drilling 
an  entirely  new  well,  and  only  about  one  in  three  such  attempts  is  likely 
to  be  successful.  Therefore,  it  is  urged  that  only  wells  which  are  in  large 
enough  casing  at  the  depth  of  the  Biehl  horizon  be  drilled  on  down  to  test 
the  deeper  pays. 

Tentative  casing  sizes  and  depths  are  listed  below: 

Casing  depth  table  based  on  top  of  Biehl  cap  rack  nt  UfOO  feet 

Casing  Plan  1  Plan  2 

Size  Depth  Depth 

20-inch     none  conductor 

16-inch    conductor  350 

12%-inch     350  775 

10-inch     775  1350 

8%-inch     1350  1450 

6%-inch     1700  1700 

5  3/16-inch    2000  2000 

Plan  Xo.  1  gives  no  protection  to  the  Biehl  sand  if  water  is  found  above 
Km)  feet  unless  mud  is  used  to  fill  the  space  between  the  N  1/4-inch  and  the 
6^-inch  casings.  Plan  Xo.  ~>  calls  for  casing  to  shut  the  Biehl  sand  out  of 
the  well  with  a  string  of  casing  without  water  behind  it,  thus  protecting 
production  in  the  vicinity.  In  other  particulars,  the  plans  are  essentially 
similar.  Depths  of  casing  points  should  be  modified  to  correspond  to  any 
differences  between  the  depth  of  the  Biehl  cap  rock  and  1  100  feet.  These 
plans  of  casing  call  for  a  minimum  of  drilling  in  a  wet  hole,  for  each  time 
casing  is  run  the  operator  may  expect  from  1(10  to  300  feet  of  drilling  before 
getting  more  water  than  can  be  carried. 

11      (74660—1,500) 


